U.S. Pat. No. 3,446,757, issued to Edwin J. Vandenberg, discloses the homopolymerization and copolymerization of silicon esters of glycidol followed by hydrolysis to remove the esterifying group, thus producing homopolymers and copolymers of glycidol. The latter may then be cross-linked by reaction with a polyfunctional acid, anhydride, isocyanate or epoxide.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,578,719; 3,595,924 and 3,666,671, issued to Kalopissis and Vanlerberghe, disclose the "hydroxylation" of homopolymers or copolymers of epichlorohydrin by the reaction of potassium acetate and a glycol with the polymers. Small, incidental amounts of acetylated material are also thereby formed and are hydrolyzed in a subsequent step.
Vanlerberghe, British Pat. No. 1,267,259, discloses the dealkylation of polymers of tert.-butyl glycidyl ether by heating them with water and a sulfonic acid. The resulting polyglycidols may then be esterified by conventional means.